Chapter 853: Holy Remains

Gray Realm.

Clang—clang—

On the rugged wilderness, a dilapidated cart rolled over gravel and shallow pits, creaking as if it were about to fall apart at any moment.

Two burly men, one in front and one behind, maintained the balance of the cart and pushed it forward with effort. The wheels ground over the earth, leaving two deep ruts, as if the thing on the cart weighed a thousand pounds.

A team of over two hundred people was walking slowly, centered around this cart...

Most of them were children, wearing dusty, tattered clothes, their heads hanging low, looking back from time to time, as if trying to find the direction of home from the end of the black, white, and gray horizon.

"A-Qian, don't cry." A boy in black hemp clothes touched the head of the girl beside him and said softly, "We will definitely be able to reach the Heavenly Pivot Realm safely."

"Brother Xiao Li, why didn't Mom and Dad come with us?" The girl called A-Qian asked, rubbing her red eyes, sobbing.

"Those wizards said that the aura of the Holy Remains can only cover a few dozen meters, and the number of people it can protect is limited... So, they could only send us children out first."

"Then Mom and Dad, staying there, won't something happen to them?"

The hemp-clothed boy was silent for a long time, a forced smile appearing on the corner of his mouth, and he spoke as gently as possible:

"It won't... Didn't your parents say, once we arrive at the Heavenly Pivot Realm, they will follow, and we can live in the Heavenly Pivot Realm from then on."

"But I don't want to live in the Heavenly Pivot Realm, I want to go home."

"Be good, there will be a chance later." The hemp-clothed boy changed the subject, "We've walked for so long, are you tired?"

"A little..."

"I'll carry you, you can sleep for a while... After all, we still have a long way to go."

"Mm, okay."

The hemp-clothed boy carried the girl on his shoulders. Perhaps because she was too tired, the girl's red, teary eyes gradually closed, and she soon fell into a deep sleep.

The hemp-clothed boy walked silently among the many children, looking at the barren and strange black-and-white world before him, his fists clenched silently, not knowing what he was thinking...

"Time to switch." Another burly man walked to the cart and said to the two men who were sweating profusely.

"It's okay... we can still hold on for a while."

"Don't push yourself." The burly man lowered his voice and frowned, "Did you forget what that wizard said before we set off? You can't have close contact with the [Holy Remains] for too long, or you'll be cursed... You must strictly follow the schedule and take turns!"

"Holy Remains..."

The man pushing the cart looked at the figure on the cart that was motionless like a mummy, lost in thought, "Do you guys think this mummy is really as magical as the wizard said?"

"I don't know, but since we entered the Gray Realm until now, we've indeed been safe all the way... Even if disasters passed by, they all went around us."

"Then is he a dead person or a living person?"

"That must be a dead person. From the start until now, he's been lying straight here, not even breathing... Can this be a living person?"

"Don't speculate about the [Holy Remains]. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have been able to survive in the Gray Realm until now, let alone reach the Heavenly Pivot Realm safely... Get back to work!"

Two figures replaced the sweating cart-pushers, completing the switch.

No one noticed,

Just as they were busy propping up the cart, the figure on the cart, wrapped tightly like a mummy, silently extended a middle finger...

……

"Phew... at this distance, it should be safe, right?"

On the pitch-black, barren earth, three figures slowly landed. Jian Changsheng looked back at the silhouette of the Heavenly Pivot Realm, which was already far away and invisible, and he relaxed, letting out a long, weary breath.

Sun Bumian stood to the side, holding his prayer beads, and said calmly:

"We've always been safe."

"...Forget it, who was running so fast just now? I couldn't even catch up!" Jian Changsheng rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, that's the speed I usually walk at when I go for a stroll after a meal."

Jian Changsheng: ...

Jian Changsheng couldn't be bothered to waste words with this guy, so he found a rock and sat down to recover his strength.

"What's the plan? Where are we going?"

"We caused such a big stir in the Heavenly Pivot Realm, we definitely can't go back." Chen Ling pondered for a moment, "There are only two paths now: either keep walking in this direction to the Wuji Realm, or take a detour to other realms."

Hearing this, Sun Bumian's eyes lit up, and he immediately said:

"I choose the Wuji Realm."

"Why are you so excited? Do you have business in the Wuji Realm?"

"I..." Sun Bumian hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, "No, nothing... I just heard that the Black Mousse Cake there is quite delicious, and I want to go try it."

"?" Jian Changsheng couldn't help but retort, "Do you have any idea how chaotic the Wuji Realm is right now? You're running there just to eat a piece of cake?"

"So what?" Sun Bumian pushed his small round sunglasses and said seriously,

"In this life, all worldly possessions are fleeting. Fame, wealth, and power are all empty in the end... Only eating and drinking well, being happy and free, is the true meaning."

"Then why did you take risks for the million-dollar prize?"

"Nonsense, how can you buy food without money?"

“……”

Chen Ling sat on the other side, listening to the two bickering, feeling his ears buzzing. He simply said: "From our current position, taking a detour to other realms would take at least seven or eight days... Heading directly to the Wuji Realm is indeed the fastest."

"But isn't it said that the Wuji Realm is quite dangerous now? Are we really going?" Jian Changsheng hesitated, "With you here, walking in the Gray Realm for seven or eight days shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"...It is a problem."

"What?"

"We left too hastily, we didn't bring any food."

"No... don't you have the [Blood Robe] just like me? You won't starve to death even if you go ten days or half a month without eating, right?"

Gurgle—

A thunderous sound came from Chen Ling's stomach. Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian were both stunned, looking at Chen Ling with strange expressions.

"...This time is different." Chen Ling looked down at his stomach, his brows furrowed, seemingly puzzled,

"I don't know why, but since the competition for the Heavenly Star Position, my physical energy seems to be consumed very quickly... If I don't replenish food soon, I'm afraid I'll starve to death halfway."

"...Ah?"

Jian Changsheng was a bit dazed. After all, in his mind, Chen Ling was a symbol of mystery and power, a monster and a freak... Just like he couldn't imagine a fairy needing to use the restroom, he couldn't imagine that the devilish Chen Ling would be troubled by not having food.

Sun Bumian, on the other hand, examined Chen Ling carefully with his nested colorful pupils, as if he had discovered something, lost in thought...